


Calculations

by Corone



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-26 01:51:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4985371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corone/pseuds/Corone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Romana has a plan, the Doctor doesn't think it will work, but mainly because it wasn't his idea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Calculations

**Author's Note:**

> This is a piece of introductory fiction that didn't get used for an RPG book. So it doesn't really finish, but I rather liked it so I hope to do more with it.

Romana stepped back from the console feeling quite pleased with herself. After another quick glance at her calculations she unclipped her long blonde hair and shook it out, taking another moment to enjoy the warm feeling of a job well done. She glanced over at the pile of coats that lay in a heap in the corner of the white control room, which was apparently paying her no attention at all. She cleared her throat, loudly, and was more than a little annoyed to hear a gentle snore issue from the pile of coats. She tried clearing her throat again, louder this time, fighting down the angry feeling that was rising from the pit of her stomach. This time she got a response. An arm emerged from the pile of coats and lifted a tatty brown hat from the top of the pile. Hidden under a mess of curls a sleepy face was revealed. But instead of paying Romana any attention it readjusted the hat and settled back into a pattern of gentle snoring. That was the last straw.

“Doctor!” Romana yelled, unable to maintain her composure any longer. The effect was startling. The pile of coats whirled into action, coalescing into a tall heap of a man with wild shining eyes. However, only half awake, the swirl of scarf and fabric that was the Doctor never fully gained his footing and crashed silently to the floor. He found himself on all fours staring into the face of his robot dog. 

“Did you want me K-9?” he inquired politely, “I was sure I heard my name.”  
“Negative Master,” the dog responded, although it wagged the aerial that served as his tail for reassurance. Romana sighed once more, quite used to this behaviour even though it was no less annoying.   
“Up here Doctor,” she said adjusting a few of the controls to give her a reason to ignore him as much as possible. “I’ve finished.”  
“You’ve finished?” the Doctor knelt up and scanned the controls, more with his nose than his eyes. He swiftly returned to all fours and regarded K-9 once more. “She’s finished K-9. Isn’t that impressive?” Before K-9 could respond he leapt to his feet and finally regarded Romana. “Finished what?” he inquired far too loudly.

On two legs the Doctor was an impressive figure. While his shambolic clothing and wide grin made him look like a clown on his day off, he was very tall and carried himself with a confidence that bordered on imposing. Romana was having none of it though. While she was easily a foot shorter, with a slight and girlish figure, she met the Doctor’s gaze with a cool intelligence that made her somehow seem to be the taller of the two.

“I’ve constructed a focussed chaos paradigm of multi-layered variables that correct to a logical counter-sequence,” She announced.  
“Poppycock!” the Doctor declared loudly as he glanced at the calculations on the TARDIS controls and failed to understand them.  
“Really?” replied Romana, arching an eyebrow as her only concession to her mounting annoyance. “Lets see then shall we?” and she threw a switch on the hexagonal console. The TARDIS shuddered and in the centre of the console the time rotor began to plunge up and down as the time-craft dematerialised into the vortex. The Doctor tried to remain calm, but was obviously angry that someone else was doing the driving in his time machine. 

“We’re going to Plantagenet seven,” Romana announced without meeting the Doctor’s gaze.  
“How can you tell with the Randomiser deciding the co-ordinates,” the Doctor inquired fearing he knew the answer. “We have to use random co-ordinates so the Black Guardian doesn’t know where we are going,” he informed Romana more than a little patronisingly, making his eyes impossibly wide for emphasis.  
“Not any more,” replied Romana, still refusing to look at him. “I’ve created a chaotic logical variable.”   
“A what?”  
“A random equation that ensures that while our co-ordinates remain random they also just happen to settle on where we want to go. Don’t worry, its quite advanced mathematics, not something most people would understand.”  
“Not something…” the Doctor spluttered, “It’ll never work.”  
“We’ll see,” said Romana elegantly adjusting the controls and bringing the TARDIS into land. “Plantagenet Seven, famed for its rainbow waterfall and deep azure lakes.   
“I’ve seen it. There’s no decent fishing.”  
“You might have seen everything but I haven’t.”  
“It had better work.”  
“It has. Isn’t it important to take a few risks now and again?” Romana grinned.  
The Doctor grinned back. “Well then, let’s see shall we?”  
He opened the great doors to the control room and strode out, itching to see what lay outside. 

Romana smiled to herself once more, picked up a coat and chased after the Doctor. She stepped out onto the alien landscape, but instead of the verdant rainbow vista she was expecting was a barren landscape of bleak hills. The Doctor had walked ahead, but was standing still against the horizon staring out across the miles of grassland, a chill wind twisting his long scarf in the breeze. Romana came up beside him, her disappointment evident. 

“Damn,” she whispered, more to herself than the Doctor, “That should have worked.”   
“It did,” intoned the Doctor without turning to look at her. “This is Plantagenet Seven, you see that rocky peak over there, they call that the Vocar of Charis.”  
“But the rainbow waterfalls, the azure lakes. More to the point, where are all the people?”  
“Yes,” the Doctor turned to grin at her like a Cheshire Cat. “It’s a mystery isn’t it?”

Romana smiled back, she knew that look. Licking his finger to check the wind direction the Doctor began striding off into the landscape. Romana took a moment to look around the in eerie stillness. There was a chill here from more than the wind, an empty feeling that nagged at the edge of her senses.  
“Come along Romana,” called the Doctor who was already becoming quite distant.  
Taking a final glance at the TARDIS for reassurance Romana did up her coat against the cold and began chasing after the Doctor, and whatever they were about to find here.


End file.
